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Lealman tour gives county commissioner an eyeful

Ronnie Duncan soaks it in, and then says: "We've got to do something."

By ANNE LINDBERGTimes Staff Writer
Published January 30, 2005

LEALMAN - The newest county commissioner got a dose of reality last week, courtesy of Lealman activists who took him on an eye-opening tour of this unincorporated area.

The goal was to make sure Ronnie Duncan got a firsthand look at the problems that confront community leaders and Pinellas County employees who deal daily with Lealman's many problems.

"The reality of Lealman speaks so much more loudly than words," Lealman Community Association president Ray Neri said.

"We feel it makes more sense to bring in commissioners to see what we're fighting and how serious we are about fighting it," Neri said. "I can write all day about how good an apple pie is. It'll only take one slice on your plate for you to understand it."

Neri hoped that making Duncan aware of the reality of Lealman would stand activists in good stead when area representatives ask the County Commission for help. The tour, he hoped, would enable Duncan to understand the reasoning behind many requests.

The tour certainly seemed to raise Duncan's awareness.

"We've got to do something," he said. "This community deserves more than it's getting, a lot more than it's getting."

Duncan had no quick fixes. After the tour, he asked for time to digest all he had seen.

The excursion began at Denny's, which insiders jokingly refer to as "Lealman City Hall." From there, Duncan and his guides - sheriff's community police officers, code enforcement officers, the fire inspector and other county staff members - first traveled to some of Lealman's improved areas.

There, Duncan saw townhomes and apartments that replaced derelict mobile home parks and dilapidated housing.

Then the trip went into blight-stricken areas populated by barely habitable housing and "Lealman double-wides," two trailers joined by duct tape. Duncan saw garbage piled up, emphasizing the need for county-regulated trash collection and stronger code enforcement.

Duncan also saw the beauty of Lealman: an area along Joe's Creek that the county is developing as a park.

[Last modified January 30, 2005, 00:10:19]